Re: Vamp Au Side Plot

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza looked over the map wide eyed. "I- I dont think so. I've never traveled that far. " she told him honestly. " I've never seen the coats before." She said, bringing a hand up to lightly trace the coastline on the map with her fingertips.

[Deathcap]

"Oh, really? Its beautiful. You can smell the sea, and it just stretches on forever. When the moon is out its as if you can see to the edge of the Earth. " He explained, leading the way out of the small ruin once they had collected their things. "Where were you from? Before you... ended up with Avadiel?

[melodiousmysteries]

"Stathmore. It's not too far from here. " She explained, following closely after him. "My father..." She trailed off, wrinkling her nose at the thought of the man. was he even still alive now?

[Deathcap]

Martin raised his eyebrows as he listened to the other. Did she have a family? That could complicate things. "Your father...?"

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Tirza sighed,. "He had dealings with Avadiel. I ended up one of them. More as a humiliation I think. I dont know if they're still around." She elaborated, sounding bitter despite herself.

[Deathcap]

Martin frowned. It wasnt unheard of, but it was a foul thing to barter ones own kin, he thought. "Give no thought to treacherous old men. He is not worth the space in your mind." He told her gently.
"Though i can hardly speak. This court I spoke of. My maker sits at the top of it. He turned me with love, or so I believed, or so was once true, but I suspect you and I lived similar lives, after he tired of me." He told her sincerly.

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza thought on his words for a moment. She mulled over her own situation as they walked, eventually gathering her thoughts. "Is that why you're helping me?" She asked, trying to hide her nerves. She was afraid that bringing it up might lead to him changing his mind, but she wanted to know.

[Deathcap]

Martin considered quietly for a moment. "In part, I suppose. I cannot say I don't see myself in your fate. I was not of any mind to take a fledgling, let alone some other lord's pet. When I saw you I intended to kill you. A young vampire without their maker's guidance is a dangerous thing - making themselves known, creating sickness, leaving bodies and spawn in their wake, they draw unwanted attention at best, and can bring slayers or wreak havoc territorially between lords. If I had left you to your own devices, you either would have gone mad from hunger, been slain by some hunter after you made yourself known, or been ripped apart by some other vampire - likely as brutally as possible - or survived long enough to become another unwelcome upstart vying for an already sparse territory." He explained grimly.
"When I set out on my own, I knew far more than you, and still I lived in misery for several decades and learned more than one lesson harshly."
"My choices, in good conscience, were to dispatch you or become responsible for you, and despite my better judgment I have chosen the latter." He told her matter of factly.

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza listened to him, her stomach clenching uneasily as she pondered the alternatives. She lapsed into silence for a while, eventually clearing her throat. "Thank you." She told him softly.

[Deathcap]

Martin glanced back at her. "You've nothing to thank me for. I chose this. From what I understand, you've little control in any of this and wouldn't be here if you'd had the choice. You owe me nothing, dear. All I ask is that you do as I say, and in return I will teach you what I can until you are capable of striking out on your own and deciding what you want. As I said, you may leave any time, but I will not hurt you or leave you behind - with the exception of working deliberately against me, or your trying to stake me the way you did Avadiel." He added gently.

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza nodded along to martins description of her situation, Feeling far more comfortable with it. "I promise not to stake you. Is light impalement still on the table?" She joked, kicking at the ground as they walked.

There was so much she didn't know about out there now, and so much more to watch out for. " What's that council thing you mentioned?" she asked him curiously.

[Deathcap]

Martin looked over her with a raised eyebrow as she teased. "I should hope not." He replied, though good naturedly.
"The vampire court? It is... a hundreds, if not thousand of years old, archaic system keeping many old, powerful and malicious vampires from mutual destruction. At some point, before this land knew writing or any church or city, vampires roamed large stretches of territory, much like a powerful beast, and fed freely upon the human populations it prowled. Of course, these territories were much larger than any today, and far less populated - a dominant vampire would move nomadically from population to population. Should two meet, they'd likely rip one another apart, and were fiercely territorial/ They rarely engaged in the false niceties of today. Though, there were fewer then, and they lived shorter lives - exposed to the elements, all sorts of other supernatural beings, and often travelling for weeks without sight of food.
As humanity clustered together and grew soft and populated the land in the warmer years, so too the vampires multiplied.
No longer brutal, wandering predators akin to a lone wild cat, they settled down in indulged in the luxuries of humans, but with all the same ferocity in their blood. This led to wars - fuedal vampire lords rising to power and securing their territory through conquering and expansion, control of underlings, though their pride wouldn't allow them to work together for long, not in the way humans do.
Cooperation and submission is not in our blood. And divided? We fall - the church-dominated nations rose up against the pagan vampire lords and hunted them brutally. For a while, there was an ebb and flow - overpopulation, then slaying and infighting, extermination, and then a new crop. Eventually, those old ones who wanted to keep their lives and their power established the court. They put strict rules in place for themselves and any who would rise up under them. Overtime, this law extended to all who would come in contact with the first members of the court. Together, as much as they might hate each other, they were able to dominate outsiders and threats for the most part. This law keeps vampire-kind alive, but favors those old ones entirely. It is rare any new creature takes over territory, save for the death of an old one. So... undermining one another has become an art - when one of them falls, it's an opportunity for everyone else in the court nearby. " Martin rambled on.

[melodiousmysteries]

"So it's a bunch of super old vampires kind of staking their claim to some places instead of fighting over them?"  She asked to clarify. "Are they dangerous?"

[Deathcap]

"Incredibly so. As vampires age, they get stronger, more efficient, regardless of practiced skill or lifestyle. Of course, some things give one an advantage, but elder vampires are notoriously strong and resilient. Avadiel was not young, but not much older than I. There are some, like my maker, that have existed for over half a millenia or more. Those are rare, but they exist. Besides their strength they are deadly and cunning and patient to have made it so far. Most vampires do not survive their first century - even those with powerful makers are prone to being killed in territorial disputes or power exchanges, or by their own makers should conflict arise." He explained quietly. "The vampire whose territory we are passing through is one of those old ones. The people here once worshipped her as a protector, before the church came along. She is nearly as old or older as my maker, though entirely solitary. She does not partake in the court, she holds her land alone - something... even rarer these days. We do not want to make our selves known to her, it is unlikely she suffers tresspassers." He told her.

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza furrowed her brow, looking very concerned. "How... how do we do that exactly? Not draw attention I mean?" She asked him nervously, her steps suddenly far more unsure as they traveled.

[Deathcap]

"We must keep moving, and not stop to feed until we are out from her domain. Shouldn't take us more than this night. Maybe some part of the next. If you grow hungry, take the bottles for now, but pack them away quickly if you do, it is not a far from possibility that she might smell the blood." He warned. "If anything happens upon us, you run, far. Do not stop. I will find you afterwards, if I live." He told her somberly, hoping it wouldn't come to that. "Take a ship with the coin when you reach the coast, find some dockyard, and feed there. Most vampires won't come close to the sea. The salt water is rumored to be deadly for us.. but, eh... there's food to be had of all sorts who are far from families that would miss them. If you take a human - alone, at your skill - drain them and discard them far from others. It is unpleasant, but better than the mistakes you could make in your state, now." He told her gently.

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Tirza scratched at her arm uncomfortably. She hadn't known this man for long but felt incredibly attached at the thought of losing him. or maybe it was just the idea of her going it on her own. She walked a little more closely, watching the world around them carefully, scanning the dark for her new boogeyman. "H-how... How long have you been traveling on your own?" she asked him, more as a distraction than anything.

[Deathcap]

Martin looked at her with a sense of worry. "It's alright, bluebird, I'm sure we'll be fine, and I will protect you to the best of my ability, but it is best to know these things encase." He added gently, trying to comfort her a bit.
"I've travelled for a long while. It was hard at first, but I move often and have gotten better at surviving. There's wonderous parts to it, to. Not many have a life that lets them travel far. I've seen more lands and skies than most ever do in their lives, I think. There are so many beautiful places. Stretching seashores, ancient forests, mountains that lie snow capped all through the year, woodlands that change firey colors for miles and miles. Each city and town feels different, has different foods. Even living in the night as we do, there is much to see under the moonlight or in the golden haze of dusk and dawn. And oh, in the rain. So many pretty things to see in the rain and snow." He added, trying to cheer her up a bit. "A free life is not so bad."

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza tried to picture the places he was describing but was having a hard time. "do you meet many... others in your travels?" She asked curiously. He had described other vampires as murderous and bloodthirsty towards other vampires, but were there others out there this kind?

[Deathcap]

The man hesitated, glancing up at the stars above them. "It is not often... There are few that willingly travel like I. I am sure they are out there, but as I make myself scarce, and likely so would they, so our paths do not cross. Most solitary vampires of my age would have perfected a stealthy means of existence, or a vicious one. I have met one other in my travels, like me, though we spent little time together. That is to say, in this land. I'm not sure of politics or culture of vampires elsewhere. " Martin told her truthfully. "Though, I imagine, the lady of this land. Her ferocity is undoubtably - at least in part - to ensure her survival. She would not have gotten so old if she was welcoming to all who strayed through. There are older still, who never took up a seat in the court, who wander or hold dominion over their own realm, though they are scarce these days... either so well known they were sought out by hunters, or rallied against by the court, or they fell into slumber somewhere centuries ago, lying in wait for this unsavory age to pass."

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza nodded, thinking on his words. She stopped in her tracks, freezing stiff when she thought she heard a sound. She scanned the dark fretfully, reaching to grab ahold of martins Sleeve.

[Deathcap]

Martin froze alongside Tirza, then slowly stepped in front of her, taking her hand in his to offer some comfort as she caught his dleeve. "Speak of the devil..." He cursed under his breath as he caught wind of the others presence. Uncertain, he braced himself and spoke into the darkness.
"Old one - we need only pass through. We are not of the court. If you grant us passage, we will be gone before the next nightfall." Martin started, voice level. He only prayed she couldnt smell the ash on his clothes.

[melodiousmysteries]

Tirza mostly cowered behind Martin, frightened, but still couldn't help but to peek out from behind him to see the thing that scared even him.

Sliet stepped out of the darkness, circling the two like a big cat. "And without incident too i would imagine." She said smoothly, eyeing the two suspiciously. "Thats what they all say. "

[Deathcap]

"Without incident." He repeated. "I carry vials of blood for the fledgling. She has not yet learned to hunt." He explained calmly, standing his ground and following her as she rounded him, keeping Tirza behind him as he did so and searching the woman's face. He hadn't expected her to be so frighteningly tall, though, he hadn't expected to ever see her at all. He would need to use this moment of grace wisely.
"I do not wish to waste your time. We are headed for the sea. If you would graciously permit us to pass, you will not see us again." He assured, touching his hand to his chest and trying to convey his sincerity - perhaps that would mean something if the detested those lordly ones.
"Though if you would not. I ask mercy for the girl. She is not mine. She was not changed of her own will. I slew her maker, Avadiel of Ebercourt, this last night. This was our only avenue of travel." He told her, giving a light bow to show his respect while he still had her attention.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet looked at the man, pleasantly surprised.  "Avadiel is dead?" She asked, sounding quite pleased and looking a lot less like she was going to eat them both.

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